News

Reactions As Fubara Nullifies Wike’s Recruitment Into Rivers Varsity

Published

10 months ago

July 22, 2023

Governor Siminialayi Fubara cancellation of recent recruitment concluded by his predecessor, Chief Nyesom Wike, into Rivers state owned Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Port Harcourt, has thrown over 1700 affected staff in disarray and stakeholders are reacting to it.

Fubara’s administration in a statement by the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Prince Chinedu Mmom announced the cancellation, citing irregularities and disobedience to directives by management of the varsity.

The statement read, “The Government of Rivers State has observed with dismay, the inconsistencies/irregularities and flagrant disobedience to the directives concerning just concluded recruitment exercise at the IAUE, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt.

“Therefore, the recent employment exercise conducted by the management of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt is hereby cancelled.

“All appointment letters issued and received are hereby nullified and affected persons directed to return the letters to office of the Registrar of the institution, other employment related properties such as ID Cards in their possession to office of the Head of Service, Rivers State immediately.

“A proper and credible recruitment exercise shall be conducted in due course.”

Stakeholders react

Enerfaa Georgewill, Chairman, Rivers Civil Society Organisations, RIVSCO, said, “For us in the civil society space, we are vindicated to the extent of the irregularities cited by the government. We agree with those who say the process should be reviewed.

“The incumbent governor merely echoed what we said at the time of the exercise. Rivers people cannot forget we raised the red flag promptly enough over the impunity of nepotism, favouritism and the flawed processes on the employment at the time.

“It happened first at the Rivers State University (RSU) and government kept deaf ears to the alarm raised before same happened at the IAUE. Nothing to cheer about the government just waking up from her slumber now.

“We are however opposed to sweeping termination of appointments by fiat. We believe a committee of competent persons should be empaneled to review the process. Those with genuine qualifications should have their employment ratified and those who fall short done away with.”

Darlington Nwauju, Spokesman, All Progressives Congress in Rivers said, “The cancellation of the recruitment at IAUE is a confirmation of the deceit we have always warned Rivers people about.

“Now, in one breath, you claim to be consolidating and in another breath, you choose to discontinue and discredit, meaning consolidation was trumpeted in order to hoodwink Rivers people.

“In a state where the unemployment rate is high up there, one can only imagine what becomes of those who got these jobs on merit outside of political or ethnic considerations.”

Zik Gbemre, Coordinator, Niger Delta Peace Coalition, said, “It’s a bold move. However, aside the impunity in unilaterally nullifying the entire process at the detriment of those who may have earned their employment genuinely, why punish the innocent and turn blind eye on the real offender?

“The school management which the state government accused of irregularities and disobedience to directives is the real offender here. They should be the first to be sanctioned and we didn’t find that in the government statement.

“Besides, even Wike should have questions to answer. If there were irregularities, the former governor, authorised it, because he approved the recruitment in defiance of alarm raised by stakeholders over the irregularities.

“We hope he (Fubara) reviews the process in fairness to those who may have merited their employment. We are talking about throwing persons already engaged for months back into joblessness.”

One issue, the government fiat is coming with a new Vice Chancellor (VC), Okechukwu Onuchukwu, at the helms of the IAUE. Prof Ozo-Mekuri Ndimele under whose administration the recruitment was done had exited office after serving out his tenure.

The development has seen the incumbent VC come under heavy knocks for allegedly instigating the said nullification of the employment.

“He had followed up the government’s directive last swiftly with sack of Deputy Registrar, Establishment of the institution, Emmanuel Kalagbor and Deputy Director, ICT, Emmanuel Aburutou.”

But this disposition has seemed ironical because one of the major talking points on this saga has been that some of the irregularities cited by government happened under the current VC.

Dismissing some of these claims in a statement signed by the Deputy Registrar/Public Relations, Ngozi Okiridu, the IAUE said, “It is not true staff hired by the immediate past VC Prof Ozo-Mekuri Ndimele were fired as soon as Prof Onuchuku came on board.

“Over 85% of those employed by Prof Ozo-Mekuri Ndimele are still at the university. Universities like any other institutions, organizations, agencies are guided by laws, rules and regulations and IAUE is not an exception.”

The affected, working without pay for the past eight months, were about being paid the backlog of salaries when the government announced the cancellation of their appointment.

News

Anambra: Three Ex-police Officers Bag Life Imprisonment For Murder

Published

6 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Editor

An Anambra State High Court sitting in Onitsha has convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment three former Police officers for killing a 42-year-old man, identified as Chukwunonso Uchenwoke, from Mbosi in the Ihiala Local Government Area of the state.

The accused persons were said to have killed the man while effecting his arrest over an alleged assault and malicious damage.

The offences were said to have been committed on May 14, 2016, at No. 13 Ibe Street, East Niger Layout, Okpoko in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state and the Onitsha Judicial Division.

After the incident, the ex-police officers, whose names were given as Juliet Ekwueme, Ugochukwu Obiakor and Raphael Chike, were said to be dismissed from the Nigerian Police Force.

The court, presided over by Justice A.O. Okuma, on Wednesday, held that the prosecution counsel proved the case beyond reasonable doubt and found the accused persons guilty of conspiracy and murder charges preferred against them, which are contrary to Sections 495(a) and 274(I) of the Criminal Code Cap 36 Volume II, Revised Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria 1991, as amended.

The three of them were all convicted and sentenced to seven years of imprisonment for conspiracy and life imprisonment for manslaughter.

Trulaw Chambers, through her principal counsel, C.J. Okeke, prosecuted the case with the fiat of the Anambra State Attorney General.

Reacting to the judgement, the prosecutor, Okeke, described it as yet another victory and a succinct reminder that justice is still tenable with the right legal representatives.

The counsel to the first defendant, G.A. Oluwatuase, said he would appeal the judgment for his client; the counsel to the second defendant, C.E. Ezenwa, and the counsel to the third defendant, C.J. Agbata, said they need a copy of the judgement to determine their next line of action.

News

Three Killed In Abuja Community Clash

Published

6 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Editor

Three persons, including two women and a young boy, have reportedly been killed in a clash between local scavengers, otherwise referred to as baban bola, and residents of the Byazhin community, in Kubwa, Bwari Area Council of the FCT.

An eyewitness, who identified herself as Jessica Adam, told our correspondent that a baban bola attempted to steal a woman’s pot of soup, but was overpowered and beaten up after the woman alerted neighbours and passers-by.

The embittered baban bola then went away and mobilised hoodlums who returned at about 8pm wielding weapons including machetes, clubs, and stones and began attacking residents at random, eventually killing the woman whose pot of soup was earlier stolen.

In the attack, two others, a woman and a young boy, reported to be passers-by who unfortunately ran into the middle of the crisis, were also killed, they were, however, yet to be identified.

“They killed two people yesterday. The community has been in chaos since yesterday. The crisis continued till this morning when they killed somebody again. So far, three persons have been killed and many injured. The Police intervened and restored normalcy, but no arrest was made. The Police have intensified their patrol in the Byazhin area of Kubwa to prevent them from regrouping,” Ms Adams narrated.

A resident in the community, who spoke with The PUNCH on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the death of the three persons but said he had no clue as to what may have started the clash.

“Yes, the riot started yesterday. And by this morning, we learnt that three persons have been killed. It happened in Byazhin around that Millionaire’s Quarters, behind that Living Faith Church. That place is usually dangerous, because it is quite lonely, and you cannot pass through there alone, especially in the evening,” he said.

As of the time of filing this report, The PUNCH gathered that schools and shops in the area have been closed down, as parents scampered to pick up kids from their classrooms, and shops refused to open as of Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer of the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, proved abortive, as her number was repeatedly unreachable.

News

24 Injured In Kano Mosque Explosion

Published

6 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Editor

No fewer than 24 persons were critically injured on Wednesday following an early morning mosque explosion at Gadan Village, Gezawa local government area of Kano State

The Public Relations Officer of the Kano Police Command, SP Abdullahi Haruna confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday.

“Today, 15/05/2024 at about 0520hrs, reports were received that, there was an explosion at a Mosque in Gadan Village, Gezawa LGA, Kano State during “Subhi Prayer” and that some people got injured.

“On receipt of the report, the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, CP Mohammed Usaini Gumel, immediately deployed the command’s combined teams consisting of experts in Explosive Ordnance Disposal Chemical Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN) led by CSP Haruna Isma’il and other Crime-Scene Policemen led by Divisional Police Officer, Gezawa Division, CSP Haruna Iliya.

“The scene was cordoned-off and twenty-four victims including 20 male adults and 4 male children were removed and rushed to Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital Kano where they are currently receiving treatment,” he said.

According to him, forensic analysis at the preliminary stage revealed a suspected petrol explosion, of which a full investigation is ongoing.

He said that the principal suspect had been identified and arrested adding that the suspect is now with the Police.

“The suspect is Shafi’u Abubakar aged 38 years who said his action was purely in hostility following prolonged family disagreement over sharing of inheritance of which those that he alleged to have cheated on him were in the mosque at that moment and he did that for his voice to be heard,” Haruna said.

While the suspect is currently in police custody, he noted that a detailed investigation is ongoing and will be made public in due course.